vwilson

Our last day in Scotland started with everyone rushing to get breakfast and finish packing before getting on the bus that took us to Edinburgh’s train station. On the train, many of us were catching up on some lack of sleep from previous nights while others played cards to pass the time. As we said goodbye to Edinburgh, we happily welcomed a new home for us in York for the next couple of nights.

We made it through the York train station (so did most but not all of our luggage) before a bus came to pick us up and take us to the dorms of York St. John University. Everyone was soon happy to learn we each got our own room and bathroom here. After we put down our stuff, many of us went to the nearest Sainsbury’s to grab a meal deal, a favorite for many of us so far on the trip. The meal deal has already improved in price from originally costing $4.88 USD to currently costing $4.87 USD. Then we met back up at the dorms to get ready for the walking tour of York.

On the tour, the best sight was the York Minster Cathedral, a huge church in the middle of York. While on the tour, we walked along the aged defense wall of York while learning about the timeline of different architecture styles, some dating back to the Romans. We walked across bridges over both the River Foss and Ouse before making it back to the center of town where we saw a criminally long line for the Harry Potter store. One group got the chance to taste edible flowers. The one Coloradan remarked that it reminded him of home. Our tour finished and conveniently ended right at the dining hall, as all of us were getting pretty hungry.

After a hearty meal of pork, rice, pasta, salad, and brownies, we headed back to the dorms to be on our own for the rest of the night. Some decided to play cards, soccer, or go on a required excursion with our group before class tomorrow. Hopefully most of us make better sleeping decisions before a long day tomorrow. We look forward to exploring the country of England further.

-Colin and David

Hello readers!

This is our first day in the UK! It started off with a 9 hour flight to London then a 4 hour train ride to Edinburgh, where we will stay for the next few days. We weren’t familiar with everyone so these hours were a great time to get to know each other.

When we arrived at Edinburgh, we went on a bus tour to view the city and the popular sights. The castles and architecture was really intricate and we hope to see these places more closely during other days of our trip.

After this, we went to the university to settle down and to place our belongings. Later in the evening, the group split off into smaller sections to explore and to get dinner. We think everyone enjoyed their food and have had the opportunity to connect with one another.

We are excited for the start of our trip! With two more weeks left of our trip, hopefully we don’t get too jetlagged 😀

Cheers,

Allison and Ajith

Hello bruvs, today was a mighty fine day full of clouds and rain. It all began at around 7:30 when (almost) everyone rolled out of bed on time and made the trek to breakfast. After a nutritious meal, we started learning all there is to know about academic integrity. Splitting into three groups, we discussed the meaning and merits of academic integrity. We described it as staying true to our moral code, regardless of the circumstances or consequences. That informed our understanding of what a world without academic integrity, where innovation and productivity would cease to exist. We then learned about differences between high school and college, and learned about the importance of personal initiative. From office hours to advisor appointments to degree planning, taking ownership of our future careers in college will be a necessity. We also shared examples of good leaders in our lives, from our principals and teachers to Jacinda Arden! From empathy to compassion to charisma, there are many qualities that have made these touted such role models in our lives. They’ve inspired us to become leaders in our own communities. After the lesson, we went for a quick, exhilarating break to pick up our laundry and stock up on snacks. Afterwards we went over the differences between high school and university and got to know about the many rich traditions that form the backbone of the A&M culture

With our knowledge of Aggie Muster, Silver Taps, Midnight Yell, and many more still marinating in our brains, we were set free to explore York and prepare for the next day. Some of the group ventured off to face the mighty cliffs of the Red Goat climbing club, a bouldering gym perfect for the likes of Dhruv (who is an avid climber). Another group set off to attend a highly esteemed cheese tasting event. After many cheeses (and much deliberation), the group decided on an innovative and unique “charcoal cheese”, a unique, jet black cheese. And last but not least, the final group headed into the walls surrounding the center of York to shop, wander, and look at cute dogs.

When 6 o’clock rolled around, we all headed to the dorms for a dinner of potato lasagna and fried chicken. Despite the food being quite delectable, many of us ate lightly in preparation for a delightful York tradition: curry night. Every Friday, the locals (and hungry A&M students) gather at the Indian restaurants of York for a nice, hot meal of curry. After having our fill of wonderful food, we chatted for a while and finally retired to our dorms to get enough rest for the next exciting day in York. Cheers!

–Arjun and Athul

Howdy Fellow York & A&M Enthusiasts,

The morning began gracefully around 7:30 for the group as we scrambled around rooms attempting to get everyone ready for the day. After a hearty breakfast, we headed for the famous university classroom for some heartfelt discussions about imposter syndrome, a common problem it seems for the average college student.

From it, many of us learned we have at least a few symptoms of it in our lives, but thankfully we were educated on healthy ways of validating ourselves! There were certainly many imposters among us, but we were able to weed out some subtle feelings that resided within us, allowing to reveal our true, beautiful personalities. In a confusing yet educationally orchestrated game of blackout bingo, Arjun stood above the rest as the valiant winner. With his story cards and dice in hand, it seems that he may never be short of good story ever again. Although possible feelings of resentment arose from falling short in the great bingo race, we headed to the buses and were immediately greeted by Sarah, our passionate Yorkshire tour guide. As we silently shuffled between seats, the comfortable, padded material stood out as a pleasant contrast to the hard, vinyl seats of the past. Some of us drifted in and out of sleep as our passionate tour guide explained the golden fields we saw past our windows, while others listened intently with their phones readily in hand to snag the next quick pic.

As soon as we entered the garden there, beautiful, well-kept vegetation met our eyes, along with several bugs buzzing around us. It was almost as if we had entered another planet. Green fields stretched across the horizon of view and the isolated mansion seemed larger-than-life. 

However, as a small group of adventurers traveled to the outer walls, they found something that made the mansion falter in comparison. In fact, a statue with an incredibly interesting and incongruous figure certainly “took the cake.”

A short while later, after taking pictures with the  rival mascot of a school that shall not be named, we boarded the bus and headed towards Malton, the self proclaimed “food capital of Yorkshire.” Employees of the deli took a particular interest in our group that ventured all the way from Texas. After speaking about whether they planned to visit the states one day, we bought a 3 for $2 potato deal to experiment with cooking in the dorm. 

A few of the others also went on a challenging 2-mile run in order to get our steps in during our time away from home. Thankfully, the temperatures were only in the 60s unlike the 100+ degree weather many of us are accustomed to back home in Texas. Some people took a journey to the National Railway Museum and observed several trains ranging from the 18th center to the most modern high-speed bulling ones, including the Eurostar, which allows travelers to seamlessly move between 6 countries in Europe. They also saw a miniature train exhibit with several little motorized trains that could go into tunnels and come out the other end. You could even change their path which was very interesting to visualize. In addition, the whole exhibit was located in a warehouse and was very easy to navigate. The museum did close at 5, but they saw enough and took enough pictures to have a jolly good time!

To cap off the day, a dramatic stage was set at the Rowntree Park tennis courts. With Gavin’s tweeners holding parallels to the graceful lobs of Alcaraz and Tejas’ consistent play showing similarities to Djokovic, a clash of rivals began like nothing else. In a tightly contested, Wimbledon-esque match, Tejas managed to closely edge out the lead. However, they both fell into the trap of being late to dinner, running through the streets and taking a few wrong turns. 

Greetings from Yorkshire 🫡,

Tejas & Dylan